


Of Zombies and Card Games

by JuokasKurvas



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: AU, F/M, M/M, Post-Apocalyptic, Post-Canon, Rape, Violence, War, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-09-14 14:12:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9185213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuokasKurvas/pseuds/JuokasKurvas
Summary: Post-canon apocalyptic story about dealing with the aftermath of a zombie (oh the cliche, I'm so sorry) crisis. Primarily focused on Jounouchi and Kaiba but several other characters make appearances, play prominent roles, yada yada. Will attempt to summary better when the story is finished, maybe, probably not.





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> I started this story in 2009 based on a weird dream and originally started posting it on FF.net. One MA and PhD later and I'm returning to the story as I hate unfinished stories and if I thought I'd fail I wouldn't have started posting in the first place (but I did so now I must push through). I used NanoWriMo as a challenge (first time attempting that) and I didn't quite finish (either the story or the word count, oops) but I got fairly close and at least figured out where the story was going which means finishing is pretty darn likely. I'm not quite done yet, but I'm hoping putting it up will motivate me to finish. Full confession, I have to admit this is not a series that I am really into anymore and it's been a massive struggle. Originally I wasn't planning to make the story a romance, however, I did it to further practice writing erotic nonsense and while I'm not sure that was the right decision, here you go. I'm hoping to complete this in the next few months and will try and post a chapter a week as I work on finishing the ending. However, while I passed my PhD (yay) I do have minor corrections so I make no promises of a regular update schedule. Weeklyish (I also will be moving back to the US from the UK at the end of January which will also quite possibly trigger irregular posting nonsense). Frankly though this story is just rubbish anyhow, just like the rest of my stories, so don't read it. But if you do anyway, I'm so sorry. ~_~
> 
> In the event that anyone who happened to start reading this years ago on FF.net is reading this here now, I polished and combined chapters but for the most part chapters 1-10 are not greatly changed from how they appeared years and years ago. From chapter 11 stuff will be new. I'm not going to moderate comments (for now, we'll see if I regret that) but I will allow no anon commenting b/c it's been abusive in the past. If you hate the story, hate AU, hate zombies, hate this pairing, hate when specific triggers aren't listed at the beginning of every chapter (because I'm sorry but I'm not going to do that, non-con and violence are the overall story tags, plus AU, please note the AU tag!!) well then feel free to just not read this rather than detail all the reasons you hate this story, think I'm a terrible person, etc etc.

**Prologue**

 

The land was barren, littered with burnt corpses. The stench was intolerable, yet it was the only evidence of life in the now desolate wasteland. Rather, the only sign of life barring the young man wandering alone among ruined buildings and smouldering bodies. Emerging from the shadows of his makeshift fortress the man gazed at the scene before him with a heavy heart. He crossed the battlefield, the sole survivor of an unspeakable atrocity, yet even he was not sure how he had endured this long, alone. Absentmindedly he reached for the puzzle clasped securely around his neck, reflecting on the long centuries of solitude spent with the ancient artefact. He did not look forward to centuries more, now with even hope stripped away. Atem walked another hundred metres or so before stopping at the surprisingly still intact corpse of a man he once considered a friend. He kneeled down to touch a cheek, still warm to the touch in contrast the vacant expression in his open brown eyes.

Atem lamented the waste, remembered his fierce determination, his vigour and his unswerving loyalty. Jounouchi, one of his best friends, the closest compatriot of his other half, now also lost in the aftermath of war and decay. He reached with trembling fingers to shut the eyes, shut out the image of this burnt world from his fallen friend. Upon contact with flesh a spark surged through his spine, and he gasped as the face below him regained colour, the eyes focused and a sharp intake of breath revealed that through some magic unknown Jounouchi had come back to the world of the living.

**Chapter 1**

  
He didn’t know why he was running, each long leg extending slightly further with every stride. All he knew was that he couldn’t stop, not yet. Turning a corner, Jounouchi stepped up the pace, practically flying down the abandoned roads in urgent need of repair. Of course that would not be happening anytime soon. His sprint was suddenly halted by a large plank thwacking into the back of his skull. His knees buckled as he focused intently on not vomiting, who knew when he’d be able to eat again? Despite the stars swimming in front of his eyes, around which he could see at least two or three of the previously singular building he had been running toward, Jounouchi still managed to cringe at the obnoxious, condescending voice behind him.  
  
    “Hmph, some dogs just never learn to stay down. I’d wonder how such a witless fool managed to survive all this time, but the answer is just too obvious, you haven’t got a mind to take.”  
  
    Jounouchi climbed carefully to his feet and glared into the all too familiar, sneering face. “Kaiba,” he spat, “don’t throw bad movie trash at me, zombies don’t really care about brains and if you’ve survived this long you should know that.”  
  
    He blushed as Kaiba chuckled softly, why the hell am I addressing that point, he thought, there were much more pressing topics before them. “Besides,” he added slowly, “I didn’t survive.”  
  
    Jou managed a grin at the look of intense fear and panic now flitting across Kaiba’s baby blues. The former billionaire genius began to inch back, reaching around for anything that might constitute a weapon, having foolishly surrendered his plank after his earlier assault.  
  
    “Oh relax will you,” Jou chuckled, still pleased with the look of fear, “I said I died, I didn’t necessarily say I was turned.”  
  
    The fear didn’t leave the brunette’s face, though Kaiba did ease up on the retreat. True, Jounouchi looked human; he was definitely in control, both of his speech patterns, and of his motor functions. Also, the fact that he neither began to salivate nor lunge for the throat during their conversation was a favourable sign that he was probably still human. Although that still left several questions regarding his last few statements.  
  
    Enjoying the mixture of confusion and terror still left in Kaiba’s expression, and desiring a bit of retribution for years of abuse pre-war – also that painful blow to the skull a few moments ago – Jou decided that he deserved at least a bit of fun. Relaxing his features, he allowed his eyes to adopt an unfocused and glazed quality. Growling faintly, he stalked towards the now deathly pale ex-CEO. Bending into a crouch, he let out an ear-splitting shriek and tackled the petrified Kaiba to the ground. Enjoying having the frightened egotist struggling beneath him, Jounouchi pushed the charade one final step further and lightly sank his teeth into the soft patch of flesh between shoulder and collarbone.  
  
    Kaiba let out a pitiful howl, no longer attempting to mask the tears streaking down both cheeks. With a gleeful chuckle Jou leapt to his feet, his laughter taking a turn for the hysterical when taking in the dishevelled mess below him, in fact he nearly blacked out briefly form oxygen deprivation as he was struggling to breathe through his mirth. He managed to regain his composure at roughly the same time Kaiba regained his. Which was probably a good thing, he did not need to be at a further disadvantage now that Kaiba’s fear was quickly turning into a murderous rage. Jounouchi slowly lifted his hands in front of himself in defence as now Kaiba was the one growling, stalking the blonde prankster as he began to retreat.  
  
    Once more Jounouchi found himself sprinting down cobbled alleyways, this time with a predator in hot pursuit. As crazed and mindless as this one might currently be, he was fortunately all too human. There would be no way Jou would be able to trick or distract his pursuer in this particular chase. Moreover, he begrudgingly had to admit that he was not the fitter participant, although he kept this confession to himself. This race could only end one way, with Jounouchi once again in an excruciating amount of pain. So he ran now not to escape the inevitable but to delay it. Maybe punches hurt less if you are exhausted and out of breath while receiving them. At least that’s what he tried to convince himself of the entire time he ran.  
\- - -  
  
Nope, punches actually hurt more when you are out of breath and severely dehydrated, much, much more. And the kicks were almost unbearable! At least the assault had finally ended. As Jou sat heaped on the ground, nursing bruised ribs and looking up into Kaiba’s smug face, he found himself managing a wry grin. Ass kicking aside, the prank had been worth it. Though when rubbing an additional sore sport on his temple moments later he realized that afterthought might have been better kept to himself.  
  
    “You really should learn when to stay silent mutt,” Kaiba groused darkly, resting his lean frame against the porch of a long since abandoned town house.  
  
    “What fun would that be,” Jou laughed, wincing as he lifted his battered person to go rest on the porch steps next to his former – probably former – nemesis. “Besides, admit it, when was the last time you felt that alive?”  
  
    Kaiba frowned, refusing to reply, but the fool did have a point. He had been living like the shell of a ghost for longer than he remembered. Which reminded him, “What did you mean before when you said that you had died?”  
  
    “Oh that,” Jounouchi said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I died, definitely – and pretty sure it wasn’t because of those stinking zombies either. Made it so damn close to the end of it all too, not that there is really anything left to have survived to see I guess. Still it’s the principle of the thing. Eh…anyhow, I’m not sure how I made it back, or rather, how Atem brought me back. He isn’t sure either; all we agreed upon is that I was definitely left for corpse food when he found me and now here I am, talking to you. Clearly someone hates me.”  
  
    Kaiba scowled but didn’t respond to the slight. “More magical nonsense I expect,” he murmured, not intending condescension this time as he contemplated the unexplained. “What’s the other side like?” he asked candidly.  
  
    “You believe there is one?” Jounouchi questioned, completely flabbergasted.  
  
    “Not - well, it just seems reasonable that if - never mind,” Kaiba cut himself off, flushing at having been caught off guard, on such controversial subject matter at that.  
  
    “No need to be so defensive Kaiba, always made sense to me that this wouldn’t be it. Especially considering what this has come to these days. To answer your question back there though, I don’t actually remember. Maybe that’s a good thing, probably better than here in the Badlands and such, I’d hope anyways. Not that I regret living again or anything, but I’m sure the hereafter will still be there for me when I get back, and I’m not done with all this just yet,” Jounouchi stated with a wink and a grand wave of an arm toward the barren landscape in front of them.  
  
    Kaiba was motionless for a few minutes, before finally whispering, “I think I died too, I can’t remember ‘waking up,’ no one was there, but I feel that there are gaps. A black space in my timeline, a line I vaguely remember being cut. Not by zombies either though,” he emphasised haughtily, “as if I would ever go that route.”  
  
    “I barely had a chance to talk to Atem before he insisted on taking off alone; maybe he brought you back too? Probably sometime after me if that’s the case, since he was pretty floored when I woke back up. Maybe he figured out how he had done it the first time and started getting to others?” Jounouchi asked, growing excited at the prospect of no longer being alone, at restoring some semblance of what once was even if things would never return to the way they were before the war, before the atrocity.  
  
    “Not sure,” Kaiba replied, slightly unconvinced – or perhaps not daring to hope. “I was alone when I came back, no one was around.” Kaiba paused after that revelation, tone taking a turn for the melancholy, “pretty sure I hadn’t been alone when I went down though.”  
  
    Jounouchi turned away as Kaiba’s voice trailed off, respecting the man enough not to stare in case he started to weep. He understood all too well the pain of what Kaiba had lost, was sure he had lost it himself too.  
  
    “Well,” Jou said, after an appropriate length of motionless silence, “nothing to see here but ruins, maybe a spare rib or two,” his poor attempt at humour. “Might as well press on elsewhere I suppose, you coming?” He asked, turning back towards Kaiba, unsure if his offer would be accepted. However, he couldn’t just leave Kaiba alone after that, especially as even Kaiba’s company would be preferred to continued isolation. He hoped his ex-rival would feel the same way.  
  
    “Alright,” Kaiba replied, getting to his feet. Together the two set off, in something resembling companionable silence, to seek out the end of the world, in more than one sense of the phrase.


	2. A Wild Bakura Appears

The world had been empty, finished, nothing remained to either conquer or destroy. It didn’t suit his personality to have nothing to do. Why exactly had he tried so hard to stay alive, sheer vainglory? The inherent shame defeat of any sort would bring upon him? True, he held a few cards in his hands still, a few pieces to play with if things became too depressingly desperate. He just was unsure what course to take now. A man like him needed a goal, he always needed a goal. He cursed himself for not thinking further ahead, thinking about what he’d do if he made it to the after but the war was lost.      
  
    His brooding was interrupted by a pair of snarky voices sniping at each other just below the cliff on which he sat perched. Peering down he spied a familiar shaggy blonde head walking alongside an equally familiar towering brunette in an unfashionable coat – the world ends and that coat manages to survive unharmed, clearly life really wasn’t fair – the two of them bickering in a fashion that was also quite recognisable. Happiness washed over him at the sight, even if this was barely a spark of what he would need to return to his former magnificence. It was his hope, his promise.  
  
    Quickly and silently he made his way down the mountainside, assuming he resembled his mirror enough to still play the part, as his acting had probably rusted slightly from years of disuse. Hopefully traumatic times would serve to mask any of the old suspicions that had never quite made it to fruition anyhow. Over eager he decided to jump the last few metres to the desert sand below. Brushing several white locks behind one ear, he sprinted after the duo, crying out to get their attention before they got too far ahead.  
  
\- - -  
  
    “Hey you guys, over here!”  
  
    “What was that?” asked Jounouchi, darting around rapidly as he failed to recognise the source of the yell in the echoing canyon. Kaiba gestured at the near translucent figure bolting towards them and ceased walking. Lifting a hand to block out the sunlight, Jounouchi emitted an excited whistle. “I think it’s Ryou!” he exclaimed, starting to walk briskly towards the awkward figure. Jounouchi almost lost his balance as the towheaded man crashed into him, enthusiastically wrapping his arms around Jounouchi’s shoulders and snuggling against his neck, the latter of these actions caused a slight flush to the former dualist’s cheeks.  
  
    He sighed happily, sagging against Jou, breathing in the taller man‘s scent. His nose was certainly buried awkwardly into the hollow of Jounouchi’s throat. Clearly a bit embarrassed, Jounouchi extracted himself from Ryou’s overly exuberant display of affection. The other man hadn’t been that starved for companionship to allow such an uncomfortable level of intimacy from someone he hadn’t exactly been close with. “Sorry Jou,” Ryou said, grinning sheepishly, “I was just so excited to see someone, someone alive! And on top of that someone I actually know. I spent all these years hiding to come out and find myself utterly alone.”  
  
    “It’s alright Ryou,” Jou reassured his friend while he smoothed the crinkles out of his t-shirt, I understand how you feel. It’s awful to be alone out here.”      
  
    “Ryou” nodded in agreement, turning to face Kaiba.  
  
    “Seto,” Ryou gushed with a friendly smile, “nice to see you’re alright as well!”  Kaiba raised an eyebrow, partly because a member of the geek squad had addressed him by his forename, mostly because he doubted Ryou specifically cared one way or the other about his welfare. Not that he’d entirely blame him, he wouldn’t have even remembered the man’s name had Jounouchi not used it beforehand.  
  
    “Same,” Kaiba gruffly replied, adding, “You’ve been hiding for years? You were fine this whole time?”  
  
    “Umm yes?” Ryou answered, confused as to what that statement meant exactly. At this point Jounouchi, with a small bit of input from Kaiba, quickly outlined their own experiences with death, as well as revealed Atem’s definite role in Jounouchi’s resurrection and possible role in Kaiba’s return to the world of the living.  
  
    At the conclusion of their tale Ryou starred at them, shocked, though with a slight unrecognizable glint in his eye. “You both died?” his inquiry incredulous.  
  
    Jounouchi started to answer in the affirmative, but Kaiba interrupted, “You didn’t? You made it all this time on your own?”  
  
    “Umm yes,” Ryou answered hesitantly, put off slightly by the scepticism in Kaiba’s tone. “I mean, I don’t really feel like I ‘made it,’ hiding the whole time and all.”  
  
    “Atem was sure he was the only one left,” Kaiba question, the tone boarding on accusatory. Jounouchi rolled his eyes at that divulged detail, given as if Kaiba himself had spoken with Atem rather than borrowing details from Jou’s own encounter.  
  
    “Well, I don’t know, I’m 100 percent sure that I didn’t die though, my timeline is quite clear to me, if a bit lonely. You said even Atem wasn’t sure of everything right? That he ran off rather quickly. I guess we’ll just have to find him again then, figure some things out for ourselves?” Ryou asked.  
  
    “Yea, Kaiba answered thoughtfully. His question hadn’t actually been accusative (well, not primarily) but hopeful, which Jounouchi quickly caught onto. Ryou’s story altered Atem’s interpretation of events. Jou didn’t dare allow himself to dream, even if it were so, he had no idea what he would find. Like Kaiba, though, finding Ryou immensely lifted his spirits.  
  
    “You’ve anything up there?” Kaiba asked, motioning to the caves from which Ryou had climbed down.  
  
    “Err, no, not really,” Ryou answered hastily, starting to walk in the opposite direction. “This isn’t where I waited out the war, just been doing some exploring since everything ended, or seemed to end anyhow. You’ll find nothing particular up that way, might as well press on, seek out Atem or who knows, maybe some others.”  
  
    Kaiba frowned at the rushed attempt to manoeuvre them on, but nevertheless, he did not press the issue. With one final glance back, he lengthened his gait to catch up with Jounouchi and Ryou, animatedly catching up discussing everything but the present.  
  
\- - -  
  
    Bakura managed with only some difficulty to contain his excitement. This was even more promising than he could have imagined. Obviously he’d have to be careful; Jounouchi might be comfortable with the situation, probably thrilled to have a companion besides Kaiba Seto to travel with. The ex-businessman himself was another matter entirely. He had obviously already formed a host of doubts concerning the seemingly bumbling towhead. Although Bakura wasn’t sure exactly what the other man was thinking, he nevertheless did not want to risk pushing those thoughts any further. After years he finally had a reason to hope again, to enjoy the fresh air and plot anew. He definitely would not do a thing to screw this up. Kaiba may annoy Jounouchi, but both he, and especially Atem, trusted and respected the man. More than they did Bakura, rather, more than Ryou, as they wouldn’t trust this other at all, especially if they were given the chance to get to know him. Pulling himself from his musings Bakura attempted to make small talk, dragging Kaiba into the conversation from time to time if for no other reason than to keep the man from the time necessary for contemplation. The trio settled for the night in a valley overlooking a small broken town. Despite it no longer being necessary (assumedly), they slept in shifts, although Bakura was pretty sure that like himself, Kaiba did not sleep at all.


	3. Small Talk and Memories

Kaiba sat up the next morning, agitated at having had one of the worst sleeps of his life. Surrounded by friends – ok, acquaintances would probably be a more apt term – he should have slept a bit more passably. A lifetime of paranoia and insomnia had made medication a necessity to sleep at all times in the old days. Years of withdraw, due to an unavailability of access, had yet to completely cure him of this need. Nonetheless, he almost never slept this badly, the five actual minutes of achieve shuteye marred by vague and confusing images. Unsure of their meaning, he had awoken in a cold sweat, unable to fall back asleep. Glancing to his right, he looked down at Jounouchi, snoring lightly, with his left arm pillowing his head. Kaiba smirked slightly, though with no intended malice behind it. He found it amusing that Jounouchi managed to survive as long as he had, so trusting, so defenceless. He really was not built for this harsh world, and he had to wonder why Atem left him alone in the first place, continued to leave him alone now. He can’t possibly doing anything that mandated solitude, so why maintain it when he obviously had a friend in need, what with friendship being ever so important and all?

            Kaiba managed a grimace for the way he still stumbled over the word friendship, even when just mentally contemplating the concept. He knew why he felt the way he did, and even why he could not let go, but it didn’t make things any easier. Glancing over the blissfully unaware blonde Kaiba turned his gaze a few feet to the left, carefully watching the very much up and active Ryou. The man was doodling in the dirt with a twig, and Kaiba rose quietly to his feet, aiming for a silent approach. Despite his light, controlled gait Ryou nevertheless overheard the movement. Looking back with what seemed to be feigned surprise, the fair-haired man moved quickly to his feet, conveniently dragging them through his scribbles in the process.

            “Good morning Seto,” Ryou chirped, “did you sleep well?”

            “Not really,” Kaiba replied, annoyed with Ryou’s accidental erasure of his artwork. “You appear rather refreshed and chipper though?” Kaiba queried, attempting to keep his suspicions out of his voice.

            “Haha, do I?” Ryou laughed, running one hand absentmindedly through his hair, “so kind of you, I actually found my sleep fitful and disrupted, having not slept out in the open in ages, even if we did have some sort of guard system. I was sure I must look quite the state.”

            Kaiba frowned slightly, he was naturally mistrustful of enthusiasm, especially these days, and Ryou’s happy tirade about his exhaustion did not assuage his uneasiness. “What were you drawing just there?” Kaiba asked mildly, working hard to affect a tone of bored disdain as he motioned towards the remaining strokes and marks etched into the ground.

            “Huh?” Ryou puzzled before looking down, “oh that? Just thoughtless sketching, trying to amuse myself while waiting for you two to wake. Was awfully nice you know, actually having to wait for something – someone – getting to just be restless and bored for once. Hah, pretty pathetic life, when you hope to fall into ennui, no?”

            “Guess so,” Kaiba murmured, more frustrated than ever. Something wasn’t right, he knew it, he just wasn’t sure what, or why he was so sure. Movement behind distracted the pair, and both turned to watch Jounouchi roll over. Kaiba worked hard not to laugh as the guy extricated himself from imaginary blankets, before sitting up with a yawn.

            “Am I last?” Jounouchi queried sheepishly, manoeuvring into a standing position. “My bad, haven’t slept so well in a long time.”

            Kaiba sighed at that statement, again baffled at how trusting he was, how naïve. The former businessman found he could barely trust himself, how did this fool manage to trust others so easily?

            “Well hey, if you’re just waiting for me to get moving, I’m up, I’m ready, let’s go find Atem,” Jounouchi said, strutting forwards, bleariness gone from his gaze. For the first time in ages, he was excited for the day ahead. Starring at each other briefly, Seto and Ryou turned to follow him off.

**\- - -**

            Jounouchi marched determinedly ahead for most of the morning, wanting to atone for the time lost to his snoozing. He hoped they’d find Atem soon, he really missed the guy. Even more than that, Atem had lost the same people and Jou could build off of that. Ryou and Kaiba had lost loved ones as well – perhaps only a singular loved one in the smug egotist’s case - but they weren’t the same common connections. They weren’t people to grieve over together, although Jounouchi felt a twinge of guilt when he realised he probably should grieve Mokuba. The kid had been a pain in the ass most of the time, but he’d also been something like a friend, someone they could count on if push came to shove, and overall he’d just been a good guy if a little to awe struck of his jerk of a big brother.

            Jounouchi was sorely tempted to try and tell a funny story to lighten the mood. Perhaps regale the group with this one time during the war when Yuugi had shot and killed a bear while they madly dashed from their zombie pursuers. The bear had fallen, not quite carcass meat, still struggling. The zombies went for it though, because despite what movies like _Dawn of the Dead_ imply, zombies have no qualms about consuming animal flesh. Yuugi, Atem, Anzu, Hiroto and himself had leapt into the river, floating away to freedom, while that wretched bear moaned out what Hiroto would later sweat were curses after them. He supposed the story wasn’t all that funny really, but it amused Jou, that image of tiny Yuugi wielding a gun, and damn if he hadn’t been one hell of a shot. Though really Jou didn’t know why he was so surprised by that, Yuugi was always good at everything. Well, except for just once. Jou shook his head to try and knock out that memory, nostalgia being a poor companion at the moment. It might not have been caused by that bear specifically, but they had most definitely been cursed. Besides, even if he did share the story Ryou would probably just gesticulate in appropriate spaces, giving neither warmth nor comfort to the tale. He was unsure about Kaiba’s reaction. He would like to assume the man would sneer, taunt and dismiss the entire event as trivial or some combination therein. He wasn’t sure about that though, Kaiba was different now. He was more subdued, contemplative, and a little bit of something else. It actually made Jou a bit sad. Sure the guy had been a jerk, a royal pain in the you know where. He had had such a passion though, such fire and charisma. The things that it would have taken to put out that man’s fervour was more than Jou could handle thinking about.

            Noticing the silence, Jou decided to distance himself from his own dark musings by engaging his companions in conversation. That’s why they were traveling together right? Well, that and a common destination, even if none of them were exactly sure where that destination might be. Turning to Ryou he asked, “So have you been alone the whole time?”  Kaiba noticeably straightened up as he listened for the response.

            “Yea, pretty much. At first I had others, Ryuuji for a while, a couple of strangers. Even Mai for a little bit, I assume you remember her of course? At some point she, Ryuuji and all the others went another way and I just got left behind I think. In the end it just became too dangerous being in bands. Groups were more attractive, more worth the effort. So I just hauled my stuff off and holed up where neither the living or otherwise afflicted could find me.”

            “Otogi,” Jounouchi mused softly, “was he alone when you were with him?”  The question was hesitant, and although he didn’t really think he could bear knowing, he had to ask.

            “No Jou,” Ryou told him softly, after several moments of empty silence had passed, “Shizuka was with him then, and still when we parted. They headed towards the thirteenth district, through…” Ryou broke off abruptly and turned away. Jounouchi didn’t need him to finish though. They had gone through the Badlands; at least that was what the area was known as since about mid-war. War, Jou snorted contemptuously at the thought of that word. It hadn’t been a war, it had been a slaughter.

            “It was days before the wall broke,” Ryou continued, “the distance might have been manageable depending on their pace, they might have gotten through before…”

            “Yea, but they didn’t. I know they didn’t. At least she wasn’t alone,” Jou choked out, swallowing back a sob. Both Ryou and Kaiba awkwardly averted their eyes, giving the poor boy some semblance of privacy with his grief.

            Jou laughed inwardly at himself after a few minutes, realizing he had spoken to distract himself from negative thoughts. He really should have just stayed quiet. He had enough opportunities of the past few years to learn that everything can and almost definitely will get worse. Ah, but then Jou wasn’t ever very good at learning, as Kaiba had loved to point out to him constantly over the years. Not now though, now Kaiba stood uneasily by, reminded of his own pain as he attempted to discern a way he could offer comfort to the other. Comfort was by no means his strong suit though. So he remained silent in order to at least not make anything worse. Jou was grateful to have finally achieved some kindness from the man, too bad this is how he had to come by it. With the morning’s optimism utterly quelled, the group trudged on, not for the first time surrounded by the nagging suspicion of pointlessness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, the weekly thing was a lie clearly, my bad. Updates to continue on some sort of irregular schedule because I am lazy. XD


	4. An Oasis

Atem gazed down upon the trio below, feeling a slight stab of guilt for so persistently evading them, especially Jou, who at the moment looked as if he’d just been stabbed. He wondered what Ryou had just said to him, though no doubt it concerned poor Shizuka. He focused on Ryou, the reason for his current avoidance. Something was not right, and it had everything to do with that fair man. He had always seemed a contradiction, sweetly simple and darkly complicated all at once, though the darker bits were hidden well. Atem wasn’t sure if he was still dealing with multiple spirits confined to one vessel, or a solidified evil doppelganger. Given his own current circumstances, he’d hedge his bets on the latter. Unfortunately, if that was the case, he had no doubt that the man below was likely the manifested dark other. He was also fairly certain that the real Ryou was unaware of his alter regardless of if he was a physical being or purely a mental state, a second personality like the one that had manifested in Malik all those years ago.

            Whatever the case, Atem could not allow himself to come to that one’s focus at the moment. Not when unsure of what motives and traps he held, especially in these uncertain times. He consoled himself with the knowledge that the enigma was anything but rash, each ploy, thought and feeling carefully calculated. Jou and Kaiba would not be in any danger in his company, at least not for now at any rate. That decided Atem turned swiftly on heel, hastily retreating in the opposite direction. They would cross paths again, just not today.

\- - -

            “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Jounouchi practically cooed, a sparkle returning to his bright eyes, “that’s it, we’re living here.”

            Kaiba smirked, albeit kindly, at Jounouchi’s over exuberance. However, the guy had a point. If one were to establish a permanent residence of any sort, this would be the place in which to do it: an old, out of the way farm house, mostly untouched by the catastrophe, and set in the middle of an orchard, an orchard that happened to still be thriving. The trees flourished, as did the small vegetable garden around the main house. Several dozen chickens ran wildly about, and a few cows – including a calf – roamed aimlessly, stopping ever so often to graze in the lush green fields.

            “It’s an oasis!” Jou cried out, running to assault one of the many trees for its fruit.

            “You idiot, an oasis would imply water, not apples,” Kaiba admonished, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

            “Whafeja,” Jou mumbled around a mouthful of fruit, juices rolling sloppily down his chin, “an’ oh mah ga it’s swee!” At that exclamation, Ryou took a tentative bite into the piece he’d been holding, letting out a soft moan of approval as the rich flavour assaulted his long deprived taste buds.

            Kaiba stepped forward and plucked a Fuji from the nearest tree. He ate quietly and neatly. End of the world, soul survivors or not, he had a reputation to maintain.

            “Aw come on prissy boy,” Jou teased, “stop being such a girl and enjoy your food.”

            “It’s just an apple,” Kaiba retorted, “no need to get so excited.”

            “Are you kidding me?” Jou laughed, “It’s the end of the world! I’d have been dancing if we found a box of Tic Tacs. _This_ is paradise.”

            “Might be, but I doubt you’ll be receiving knowledge from that apple anytime soon,” Kaiba scoffed back.

            Jou narrowed his eyes, but refrained from commenting, walking closer to the house to check out the vegetable garden and scope out the livestock. If princess needed a feast to get excited Jou was pretty sure he could arrange that.

            Keeping one eye on Jounouchi as he huffily walked away, Kaiba glanced at Ryou who was working greedily on his third apple while reaching for a fourth. “Slow down,” Kaiba said, “it’d be a shame to have survived all this time merely to go out choking on fruit.”

            For a brief second Ryou glared at him venomously and Kaiba was almost elated at what appeared to be a break in character. However the man managed to regain his composure before commenting. Cheeks reddening slightly, Ryou emitted a lively chortle. “Right, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, bouncing off after Jou.

            Kaiba masked his frustration. Finishing off his own apple he debated exploring an alternative section of the farm, but thought better of it. He worried about leaving Jou alone with Ryou, though he attempted to push that though aside as he walked towards the house. Of course he didn’t actually care about that stupid mutt. That would be ridiculous.


	5. Dead Puppies and Real Talk

“This is it isn’t it? We are going to die here,” a voice whimpered pathetically, before breaking into hysterical sobs.

            “Oh hush up,” a firmer tone commanded, authoritative, but not cruel, “we aren’t going to die anytime soon. For one we have enough food and water to last us months, for another I will find a way out of here. A prison is only as formidable as its jailer, and as ours has gone MIA I’d say we’ve nothing to worry about.”

            “You tell him kid! So see, cheer up Ryou, we’ll get out no problem. Worry more about the horror of the outside, not what’s going on in here,” the petite brunette chirped brightly, until the end of her statement caused poor Ryou’s face to crumple up further.

            “Oh bravo Anzu, how about you just tell him you killed his puppy while you’re at it?” their de facto leader chastised.

            “Mr. Knobs?!” Ryou wailed, burying his face in his lap. The other two just rolled their eyes and left the young man to his unyielding grief.

            “This pisses me off though, we don’t even know who the hell locked us up or why. I very much doubt it was for our own good. When my brother,” and Mokuba blanched as his statement died out. Anzu placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, which the teen allowed while he attempted to get his thoughts back under control. Mokuba, kidnapped once again, nothing new about that. Save for the bit where his rescuer wouldn’t be coming for him this time.

            “Stupid Seto,” Mokuba mumbled to himself, a mixture of anger and sorrow as he staved off bitter tears. Anzu and Ryou sat quietly, the latter finally getting his own grief under control when faced with Mokuba’s fresh anguish. All three sat in silence, wondering if it would ever get easier.

\- - -

            “Ok the silent contemplation act has hit the ultimate creep factor level, at least insult me or something,” Jou whined, going so far as to prod Kaiba in the ribs when his plea elicited no perceptible response. That action at least finally merited some movement from the man, who with a contemptuous look, stood up and began to walk away. “Aw come on Kaiba, why you being such a grouch? You act like it’s the end of the world or something,” the shorter man groused with a wry grin.

            “Life must be pretty grim if you actually want to be insulted,” Kaiba retorted tersely, “or even want to talk to me at all,” he finished bitterly.

            Jounouchi debated mocking this unprecedented lowering of the emotional shields, but on the one hand, he figured his ribs couldn’t take another beating this week, and on the other hand he saw no advantage to further wounding a defeated man. Like it or not, they might be all they had left in the world, they may as well at least try and get along. Jou knew Kaiba thought him naïve, but he wasn’t, he realized something was up with Ryou. Something was always up with Ryou, and maybe it wasn’t even anything all that bad, but in paranoid times it pays to be suspicious of everyone. Perhaps he could address the issue with Kaiba later, at least let the man know he wasn’t alone in his freaky unexplainable mistrust – at least in this one instance. For now, he was determined to at least get a weather updated out of the man. Jounouchi didn’t do silence well, there was no such thing as comfortable when it came to him and that word.

            “You ever think it would really be zombies?” he asked offhandedly (he really had no desire to actually discuss weather patterns).

            “Huh?” Kaiba asked, momentarily baffled by the out of nowhere question.

            “You know the end of the world and such. Personally, I had been hoping it’d be Godzilla finishing us all off,” Jou answered.

            “God-a-what?!” Kaiba asked, even more confused, and slightly annoyed at his lack of comprehension – even if the subject matter was completely idiotic.

            “Godzilla!  Dude you really are a freak. Never even heard of Godzilla,” Jou replied incredulously, “weren’t you ever a kid?”  The expression crossing his companion’s face pretty much answered that. He felt bad for the guy, he really did. It wasn’t really his fault he annoyingly lacked fun and humour. It was a wonder he’d been able to bring Mokuba up so well, stunted as he was. Jou quickly pushed those thoughts aside, nothing good could come from sibling reflection.

            “Well he’s this giant monster dinosaur thing, and on a large scale he is better capable of creating destruction and mayhem, but he’s first only one creature, not several million and growing. Second he’s so big, with tiny little arms that have no reach whatsoever. So you can hide from him much better, just gotta avoid his current path of destruction. Also he’s not decomposing, which is always a plus when dealing with an enemy attacking upwind,” Jou explained.

            Kaiba just stared at the blonde in amazement, he couldn’t even utter an insult he was just too astonished. Jou bit back a grin at the bewilderment flashing across the other’s face. This was his idea of comfortable, mindless chatter that rendered his friends amused or confused.

            “And the thing about Godzilla,” Jou started to continue, until Kaiba finally snapped.

            “Shut up about Godzo…”

            “Godzilla,” Jou interrupted.

            “Whatever!  I don’t care. Isn’t everything bad enough already? Do we have to play the what if it was worse game? Does that really make you feel better? How does that help, please explain why this should help?” Kaiba screamed, practically crying in his hysteria.

            Jou stared at him speechless, until he started to pitch forward, at which point he ran forwards, barely managing to catch Kaiba before he collided with the ground. Jou patted his back, in what he hoped was a comforting manner, awkward as that was. Even stranger was Kaiba collapsed and started sobbing into his shoulder. The words he muttered back to him were soothing, but controlled, to cover any hint of mirth. For as distressing as this was, Jou was beyond amused that he had not been the one to break first.

**\- - -**

            Bakura skulked behind the shrubbery around the farmhouse, remaining out of view as he carefully observed the pair. It took everything he had in him to not burst out laughing at the sight. Oh the pain and anguish was just too delightful, though he would rather have broken Kaiba himself. He at least hoped that he’d pull himself back together eventually; life would be a lot less fun if the arrogance, paranoia and general grouchy demeanour went away just like that. Donning his most authentic concerned expression, Bakura made his way towards the pair, announcing his presence with a shouted, “hey, you guys alright?”  Bakura felt his lips twitch as Kaiba hastened to compose himself. What a wonderful thing, being feared and mistrusted.

            “Sure dude, we’re alright,” Jounouchi answered back, moving to position himself between Kaiba and Bakura. At this he frowned slightly, he hadn’t been aware of Jounouchi being wary or suspicious of him. _How long has this been going on?_ Bakura wondered. He hadn’t given Kaiba and Jounouchi much time alone (and carefully spied on them during the times he did). That meant the blondes’ thoughts and actions were his own, which was a tad unnerving. Nothing could be done now though, if that was the case, and it’s not like he really had anything to fear from either the idiot or Kaiba. Attempting to remove himself from their thoughts while he gathered his own, he decided to give them some real alone time.

            “Ok, if you’re sure, I was going to explore the woods a bit,” Bakura stated.

            “Sounds good,” Jou said evenly, “we’ll check out this house here.”  Plans announced Bakura headed back towards the forest, while Jou turned to lift the still sunken Kaiba and steer him towards the house.

\- - -

            Kaiba flushed as Jounouchi put an arm around his waist to help steer him into the farmhouse. He hated feeling this vulnerable, hated the fact that a boneless feeling still lingering around his lower body rendered help necessary. Mostly he hated where the assistance was coming from. He’d always considered Jounouchi beneath him, a mindless halfwit with without any talent or characterisations to recommend him. Over the years Kaiba had always treated him accordingly. So to now find that his estimation might have been slightly off, furthermore, to find himself needing this man’s help, left him quite embarrassed. The fact that he didn’t even deserve the assistance added insult to injury, in the rarely suffered feeling of guilt. Who helps a person who spent almost every day of their acquaintance kicking them down? He could console himself; make the common generalisation that he was just that naively stupid, or perhaps masochistic. Kaiba knew that wasn’t right though, and he had no idea how to overcome his discomfiture over the situation. However, he’d worry about that after he regained a bit more of his equilibrium.

            Jou set his burden down on an aging sofa. He couldn’t contain a grin as the other man settled back into the floral cushions, sighing softly as he shut heavily lashed eyes. He debated for half a second before joining Kaiba on the couch.

            “Sorry,” Kaiba mumbled sleepily. Jou took that to be about as close to a thank you as he would receive from the other man, so he told him no problem and hurriedly changed the subject to something less emotionally awkward.

            “What do you think the deal is with Ryou?” Jou asked tentatively, not sure where Kaiba’s train of thought had been in regards to their third travel companion. He was sure Kaiba had been suspicious almost from the get-go though.

            Kaiba opened an eye, frowning slightly. _I really don’t give the guy enough credit_ , he reflected for a few moments before addressing the question. “I am pretty sure he isn’t Ryou,” Kaiba answered slowly, as if to test the thought out before acknowledging it.

            “Like another spirit from the past?” Jounouchi teased lightly, knowing how Kaiba had felt about Atem’s sudden corporeal existence, right before the onset of the war. When he managed to physically separate from Yuugi into his own solid form there was no denying the proof of cold hard flesh.

            “I won’t assume ‘of the past,’ but yes, something like that.”

            “Do you think Ryou is in there? Like how Atem and Yuugi used to be?” he hated to bring Yuugi up, but they had to figure this out. If the suspicion of Ryou having an alter was true, they might be in over their heads, as this being was certainly nothing like Atem.

            “No, maybe at one point – it’d explain all those memory lapses the kid used to have,” Kaiba smiled a bit, as if it were a fond memory, poor Ryou’s confusion and suffering. “I think like Atem, whatever he is, he’s completely split from the Ryou we knew. Never figured out how Atem and Yuugi managed that, and it was right before Chaos. What if it’s all connected?”

            “Are you blaming Atem and Yuugi?” Jou accused defensively.

            “No stupid dog,” Kaiba growled, slipping back into old insults in his frustration over how single minded Jounouchi could be at times. “I’m just saying there are too many coincidences.”

            Calming down despite the insult Jou asked, “What would this ‘other’ Ryou want?”

            “That I’m not sure of,” Kaiba admitted, “I can’t really see anything for him to gain at this point. Villainous plans of conquest generally don’t entail destroying everything as ultimately that leaves nothing and no one to conquer.”

            “Maybe he screwed up?” Jounouchi hypothesized, “I dunno what he’d be trying to do now, and it’s just us. What could he do with just us?”

            “Us and whatever Atem can do, whatever he can fix, unknowingly or otherwise,” Kaiba pointed out.

            “True,” Jou said, suddenly afraid, even if he didn’t know of what. “What do we do then?”

            “We stop trying to find Atem to start with, at least until we have some idea with this other is trying to do, and a clue as to how to stop him.”

            “We don’t know where Atem is though, how do we avoid him?” Jou wondered aloud.

            “I think that will be the easy part, right now we need to go keep an eye on Ryou’s alter” Seto decided, rising from the couch and heading towards the door. Jou scrambled after him, as worried as this other Ryou situation made him, he was glad to see Kaiba regain some of his old confidence and purpose. It bolstered Jounouchi’s own sense of personal strength and motivation. For the first time in what felt like an eternity Jou was remembering what it felt like to hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update schedule: whenever I can be bothered apparently. 
> 
> Vague excuse: moved to Alaska, Alaska is overwhelming, trying to sort out life and find job, job finding as an arts person in Alaska - kinda terrifying. Will try to do more this and less not this when hiding from my resume and cover letters.


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